Do you still remember your first gold nugget find?


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Hello All,

It's always interesting to hear about first nugget finds, regardless of the type of metal detector or size of the nugget. I can still remember when I found my first nugget(s), although they were pretty small in size. My first couple of nuggets with were found in the Bradshaw Mountains with a orginal Tesoro Lobo. I still have the nuggets, but would have to really study the nuggets to remember them since they were real small (probably 5-8 grains each).

That being said, I do remember my first sizeable nugget really well. My first sizeable nugget was found with a early Minelab VLF and small 6-inch round DD searchcoil. I was working a high bench along a major gulch of the Bradshaw Mountain range. This was probably 91-92' if I remember corectly. I still remember getting a screaming signal under a small bush, which I thought was another bullet or casing. Low and behold it was a really nice 7+ dwt gold nugget. I was so excited I started screaming and even shot a few rounds into the air due to excitement.

I was so excited that I actually left the location and went back to a location where a carekeeper friend was staying and showed him. He said it was one of the largest nuggets he has seen and was also excited to know of the potential. It's always great to be able to share such an experience with a friend or hunting partner.

Thought you might enjoy. Here is a picture of the 7+ Dwt nugget I found that day! :D

myfirstnugget.jpg

Would love to hear about your first gold nugget find.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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I bought a three inch dredge in 1978 and went to the Mother Lode for the summer.

It was a big drought year.

The water level was so low on the Yuba River I could walk across one of the deepest points

I still have a picture.

I wound up dredging for most of the summer on the Merced River up near Briceburg.

I put my little dredge in near the edge of the river by the road and dredged my rookie ass off.

I found a few flood gold flakes and some dust in the pan outs but no nuggets.

I had been on the river for almost five weeks having a great time meeting lots of strange and cool people

and learning a lot, but had found no gold to speak of.

When was time for me to head back home I spent the last day dredging and then, with the dredge still running,

I dragged it over to the edge of the river to haul it out and pack it up.

I had spent weeks getting into the river using a small rise of bedrock as a step into the water.

I pulled the dredge past the rise and almost as an afterthought, took the dredge nozzle and sucked the silt and gravel off the top.

I shut the dredge off, heaved the nozzle onto the river bank and watched as the water cleared.

A moment later I froze, stunned, as I stared at a quarter ounce nugget glowing on the top of the bedrock step

in some rotted slate that made it look like it was in a giant ring setting.

I remember standing there in the waist deep water shaking my head as I thought about

how many times over the past few weeks I had stepped on that piece of gold getting in and out of the water.

I still have the nugget.

Flak

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I started metal detecting local parks in Jan. 09 with my new MXT. I was hooked. After finding this site and others i got hooked on the idea of nugget hunting. I bought a gpx 4500 in late may. I used it twice before trying dredging on the salmon river. Loved it but two weeks later they shut it down. I took three scouting trips to the mother load I did not do any detecting but found a good looking place. After checking for claims I took my fourth trip. I got to the dry creek bed at 6:30am. Worked my way down the creek finding lots of lead. I figured it to be a good sign no one else had been there. Plus still learning how to use the gpx it was helping me try different setting. About 1/4 mile down the creek it droped off and i had to turn around. Half way back covering groung i already coverd i came across what i thought would be another bullet it was now 7:30 am. Turned out it was my first nugget. 55.5 grams. I was in shock climed up the hill and drove the 4 hours home. For the next three weekends i hit the creek hard untill rain ran me out without luck. My next trip I wanted to explore the redding area. It was late Nov. by now. I never go to detect that trip. I took a fall which resulted in two suguries on my arm. I was out of work for 5 months. It was not untill NOV. of 2010 that i could swing the gpx again but not very much. I went to the creek were i found my first nugget enven though i knew it was full of water and found my second. I had it tested it is platinum.

Thanks to all the vets! I lost a brother in vietnam freedom is not free!

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post-28815-0-57136200-1306779086_thumb.j

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Here's the second one I found. the first was a little bigger than a flake. This came from about 30 feet from where I parked and I almost didn't dig it. I was thinking it was probabbly a bullet. Good thing I did. I wasn't there more than five minuets.

May-July2009142.jpg

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My first nugget was about two an a half pennyweight. I was dredging the North Fork of the Merced River in 1972 with a 2 1/2 inch Keene dredge mounted on a truck inner tube. The hole produced over ounce that day. I still have the nugget. I had a bail put on it and gave it to my wife for our anniversary. Needless to say the next week I had gold nugget stud earrings made. It would be nice to be back dredging like in the old days. I was broken in by one of the best a long term friend, Ed Coogan. He is still a die hard prospector. Jerry

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